The invention disclosed herein relates to apparatus for dividing a single row or column of moving vessels into a plurality of moving rows or columns.
In the commercial processing of many different types of articles such as bottles in a bottling plant it is often desirable that the bottles leave one step of the process to be transferred to a next stage and that they be divided into two or more streams, rows or columns to be fed separately to their destinations in the next stage or stages.
An illustrative device for separating a single row of moving articles into two columns is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,087,596. In the patented device, the single row of articles are moving in a circular path on a rotating conveyor although the conveyor could be one that moves the bottles linearly in a single row as well. There is a rotating turret arranged generally tangentially to the line of movement of the articles on the conveyor. There are a plurality of pairs of gripper jaws mounted on the turret for relative movement toward and away from each other and extending generally radially outwardly from the turret. There are actuating means, including a stationary cam, adjacent the center of the turret, for closing each pair of jaws at a first station to grip an article between the jaws and take the article off of the conveyor and then to open the jaws at a second station to release a gripped article therefrom. The articles are released to a linear conveyor at a second station extending tangentially of the path of the orbiting jaws. Radially movable pushers mounted on the turret between alternate pairs of the jaws are operated by stationary cams for moving the pushers radially outwardly of the turret at the second station to push the alternate released articles radially away from the turret so that two laterally spaced rows of articles are produced on the linear conveyor. In this apparatus, one row of articles such as upright bottles is formed on one side or edge of the linear conveyor and another row is formed on the laterally spaced apart or opposite side or edge. The articles in each row on the linear conveyor are spaced apart longitudinally by twice the distance at which they are spaced apart while they are on the turret. One disadvantage of the patented apparatus is that the rectilinear speed of the articles on the linear conveyor is the same as the tangential speed that the articles have while on the turret. In cases where fragile and unstable articles such as bottles are being handled, it would be desirable to reduce the speed to minimize the likelihood of bottles tipping, possibly against each other, so as to increase the likelihood of breakage. Besides the inconvenience that results from breakage, noise is emitted when the bottles tip against each other. To avoid the consequences of bottle instability the apparatus has to be operated at a slower rate. Moreover, it is restricted to dividing a single row of articles into only two separate rows.
Another article dividing or distributing apparatus is described in German Laid Out Specification No. 1,084,640. In this apparatus there are two oppositely directed star-wheels that respectively remove alternate vessels that are moving in a single row on a rotating conveyor. Each of the star-wheels is driven in synchronism with the conveyor and they all have the same circumferential or peripheral speed. Every other or second pocket has a driven and guided slidable member which grips the articles such as bottles so that the bottles are transferred alternately onto the two star-wheels. A conveyor belt passes the output or discharge station of each star-wheel and the belt moves at a speed that is lower than the star-wheels so that upon issuing from the star-wheels the articles are slowed down somewhat. The reduction in spacing of the vessels attainable in this manner must be held within narrow limits on account of the great danger of tipping. This known apparatus is complex and costly to build and its space requirements are high because of using four star-wheels. Still it is not adapted to high rate article handling nor to division of a single row of articles into more than two rows.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,829,757 shows another type of apparatus for dividing a single row of moving articles such as bottles or glass vessels into two rows. This apparatus uses four star-wheels and conveyor-stars driven synchronously with one another at the same circumferential or peripheral speed. A swivel actuator switches the articles alternately to two transfer points. A conveyor worm is connected in series with each of the two conveyor-stars. The worms have continuously decreasing pitch which reduces the spacing between vessels to a minimum wherein they are in mutual contact. This apparatus has the desirable feature of reducing output conveyor speed or the speed of the vessels in the two rows. However, this apparatus has high manufacturing costs and takes up a lot of space. Moreover, when it is desired to change over to accommodate another vessel diameter, six machine elements must be changed, namely, the four conveyor-stars and the two conveyor worms along with the stationary guide members. The use of conveyor worms has the disadvantage of possibly damaging labels on bottles or vessels due to the rubbing action of the worms.
Another vessel dividing apparatus is shown in German Laid Open Specification No. 3,002,802. In this apparatus, star-wheels are provided with strikers or rams on every other or alternate pockets at their peripheries. The vessels are conveyed in the pockets through stationary guide members and out of the pockets between the actuators or a rack-belt rotating at lower circumferential or peripheral speed. The rack-belts travel over drive wheels seated on shafts of the star-wheels between the two star-plates so that the periphery of each star-wheel intersects the teeth on the rack belt at an angle of approximately 45.degree.. This relatively large angle of intersection results in an impact type of wobbling movement of the vessels in the transfer area which cannot be wholly prevented by use of stationary guide members. Besides being complex and costly to build and requiring a lot of space, particularly for the two rack-belts with their drives and reversing wheels, this apparatus produces a lot of noise.
The difficulty of changing over from one vessel size to another has been mentioned already.